The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c15.125.5

v1.c15.125.5

He issued commands to the whole of the Hindus of the country, so that they came pouring in crowds, and round about the idol-temple were planting spiked bāmbūs, in the ground, and were weaving them together, so that it was appearing like unto walls.'' When Muḥammad realised his danger, he ordered the army to make a sortie and break through the palisade. This, the troops succeeded in doing, not without considerable difficulty, and they reached the open plain, closely pursued by the Hindus. The Musalmans were driven into the river, where they all perished with the exception of Muḥammad ibn Bakht-yār and 'a few horsemen, a hundred more or less....The rest were drowned.' With the assistance of the relatives of 'Ali the Mej, Muḥammad reached Dīw-koṭ ; but such was the extent of the disaster, that he could not even ride his horse in the open for 'all the people, from the housetops and the streets (consisting) of women and children, would wail and utter imprecations against him and revile him.' Commenting on this expedition, Blochmann has said : ''It is difficult to say what motives Muḥammad Bakht-yār had to invade Tibbat. It was perhaps, as Minhāj says, ambition, but if we consider how small a part of Bengal was really in his power, his expedition to Tibbat borders on foolhardiness.'' But an explanation is probably to be found in the fact that in those days commercial traffic between Bengal and Tibet was very extensive.